To Protect The Wild Rose
by TomTheBoy
Summary: The man didn't dodge the attack but strikes her instead, the girl lands on the ground with a sickening thud. As she struggles to get up the man starts to approach her. "You nuisance. It's time to rid of you once and for all you unwanted, horrid, little beast." *PLEASE READ AND REVEIW. First story ever... I'm not good at summaries. ):


**野バラを守るために**

**No bara o mamoru tame ni**

**To Protect The Wild Rose**

In the days before, near a village, in an untamed forest, there lived a small girl. She spent her days hiding within a horrific Oni mask, scaring away villagers both curious and stupid enough to venture in the area around the forest. The villagers had taken to referring to her by the moniker of "The Oni child."

In the village, a boy named Mamoru had heard stories of the "The Oni child." from the other village children and became curious of why the Oni would terrorize the villagers, so he decided to go near the forest to see the infamous "Oni child." for himself. As he had hoped the child came out of the forest, her messy, dirty and ragged appearance added to horrid Oni mask. He was surprised that "The Oni child." was a small girl. She suddenly started to throw rocks at him.

"Get away from my forest you little village boy, I will eat you!" She threatened menacingly. Her words frightened Mamoru but he would not leave.

"Please, stop throwing rocks at me!" He replied shaking and in pain.

"You should not be here. This is my forest, go back to your village little boy." "The Little Oni Girl" started to throw with more fervor causing Mamoru to flee back to the village.

Although forced to flee his curiosity was not yet satisfied. He went back to the forest the next day. Again "The Little Oni Girl" came out… With rocks. Before she started throwing them he interrupted her.

"Please, don't throw rocks at me! I come in peace and wish you no harm. See? I bring you a peace-offering." He said quickly as he presented some mochi, causing the girl to pause.

"No one that comes from the village means me any peace." The girl said with malice and what seemed a bit of melancholy in her voice.

"Why do you think the villagers wish you harm, did someone from the village hurt you?" The questions startle her.

"You don't know anything." She whispered surprised. "What do you mean, what is it that I don't know?" He asked confused. "Just leave me and my forest alone, you clueless child, or I really will eat you!" She screamed now seething.

"Wait! I want to know-" He said in vain as the girl suddenly turned away running back into the dark forest. The actions and words of the girl bewildered Mamoru peaking his already growing curiosity. Seeing that the girl wasn't going to come back he went back to the village.

Back at the village Mamoru told his Okaa-san about his odd encounters with "The Little Oni Girl" asking if she knew anything about what the girl had meant when she said that he didn't know anything. She was reluctant to say but eventually she spoke of an unfortunate tale of a nameless female child that was shunned, abused, and isolated by the villagers. A traveling Senken-sha had said that the child was a Oni born in a human body, that she would evidently cause misfortune and death to those around her. The villagers then started to fear the child. The child was beaten then exiled to the forest in hopes that she may perish in the wilderness.

The story shocked Mamoru. Why would the kind villagers he knew would do such terrible things to the girl, had she done anything wrong to deserve the terrible treatment she had to endure? His Okaa-san shook her head sadly. She said that people can do terrible things solely out of fear, that they lose all reasoning and may do anything to survive. Mamoru finally understood the prejudges the girl had against the villagers, why she was full of anger and sadness. Mamoru decided he had to do something and was going to see the girl again the next day.

To say he was a little worried was an understatement. Mamoru has been waiting in front of the forest for about an hour with no sign of the little girl. "Little girl?! I want to speak to you!" Mamoru yelled into the forest and was only met with silence. He had started to get very anxious so he finally decided to go into the forest to look for her. After a while of wondering the forest with no sign of the girl he was going to give up his search until he hears a commotion. On alert he rushed over to see what was going on.

"Get away you little beast! Leave me be!" Yelled a gruff voice. "No! You leave my forest at once you murderer! This is not your territory to hunt." Spat the little girl. "I'm no murderer! I can hunt where ever I want Oni child." Countered the apparent seething hunter. "No, you can't you murderer! Your village hunting grounds aren't anywhere near here." Yelled the little girl as she lunged at him. The man didn't dodge the attack but strikes her instead, the girl lands on the ground with a sickening thud. As she struggles to get up the man starts to approach her. "You nuisance. It's time to rid of you once and for all you unwanted, horrid, little beast."

Mamoru approaching the scene after hearing all the yelling sees the girl on the ground wounded as the man is approaching her to strike her with his hunting knife. She is at the edge of a clearing where there is a cliff, if she where to fall it could be fatal. Fearing for the girl's life he intervenes. "No, stop!" He yells as he runs up to the hunter trying to prevent the man from striking. The actions only agitate the man further and he throws Mamoru away. "Stop child! I need to rid of the horrid Oni at once; villagers will finally be able to go into the forest without fear of this beastly creature." Angst, Mamoru desperately tries to defend the girl. "She isn't a horrid beast, she has done nothing wrong. We villages wronged her terribly, hurting her because of our silly fears and assumptions. She is no Oni, she is a person!" The hunter turns his head to Mamoru. "You're with the Oni. She has you under her control; you must die with the monster!" He suddenly accuses. The man directs his attack toward Mamoru momentarily forgoing his original target. Just before he gets too close to Mamoru the girl rushes up to the hunter, using all her strength pushes the crazed man of the cliff. Knocking off her mask off in the process.

She collapses.

Fearful Mamoru rushes to her. The hunter had stabbed her in the side right before she had pushed him and now was bleeding profusely. Panicked he started to leave to get help but she stops him. "There is no need to get help… I was meant to end this way eventually, to die like a wild animal." She gasps out painfully. The words of the girl brings him sorrow and tears to his eyes. "No, it isn't meant to end like this. We were supposed to become friends and I was to prove to the others that you are no Oni, that what they did to you was wrong!"

"No-" She suddenly gasped out. "What did you say?" He asks frantic. "Nobara." She smiles faintly. "You had asked for my name. It's Nobara." Mamoru stares at her stunned. He had not known that she had heard him when she had asked for her name when she had run into the forest the previous day. He shakily smiles back. "My name-" "Is Mamoru." She states, interrupting him. "I watch the village at times… I hear them call you that." She says in short shallow breaths. He sees death is soon coming to claim her becomes frantic and once again tries to go for help once more. But she stops him. He looks at her begging for her to let him get help. She refuses.

"Thank you Mamoru. You are truly a kind person for caring for a retched-" "You are not a beast!" He says passionately interrupting her. She smiles faintly again. "… A person like me."

* * *

**Meanings and Translations**

**Nobara: Wild rose**

**Mamoru: To protect**

**Okaa-san: Formal way of saying mother**

**Oni: An ogre like demon**

**Senken-sha: Japanese seer**

**Mochi: Japanese rice cake**

***Authors Note* Please review! **This is my VERY FIRST story that I have ever written and I would really like to hear tips or opinions so I can write better. I really hope you enjoyed reading this as I had writing this. Thank you very much.

**_-Chelsea Chris_ **


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